The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1887-11-22

Elowslof Gwelt- -townTit boing believed
BY. sfqll that Fat tho last mOlnent D. he
would make confession Y. y, tase
Miss eektlewaiteJ MAS much dis:
/ tEe9ssd, !, but she believed, that Wheii
once Tie key had turned al doubt OF
Peters guilt had vanished and that
her sympathy was thrown away.
AS for the major he would not have
interferred with the laws Of this coun-
try had it been possible, and Jobnrap-
John and his fell 6WesefY wants 81 Thought
no fate to5 bad foir one who had cast so
much suspicion upon them--and the
day drew near on which he was to die,
and only his poor old mother Dame to
the prison gates to, weep, or went fran
tically about to gain speech with those
who had power in their hands and tell
them that she was sure Of her Peter.
and that lie Yves the best son who ever
lived, and to beg them on her bended
kneesto believe sas,she did, <R
Peter MORGAN was to Ds hung, and
clergymen were with him hourly and
confession was adylsed as "a means Of
atonement, and lie was warned against
obstinacy but all in vain. No confess
Sion rell2from hisslips. o Instead he said
som ething which seemed blasphemy to
those who heard it.
II know the key turned in my hand.
But it wasn't Gods doing. Satan had
a hand in it, for 1t told q lie. L never
saw the diamonda.''S ~ tE II
And in this mood the dreadful day
found him.
| 4 Peter's old mother; came to him III
prison that day, and their parting was
q dreadful thing to see, but still he
said: 81 am innocent'' and she was
taken away. and he marched, with
guards about him and his hands bound,
toward the awful spot where he was to
meet his fate, and the, clergyman whis-
pered: ' y - - - - =
Confess the truth, my son. and go
to- Heaven washed from falsehood."a si
| He answered.: .bsfs2 tFfis%@ - FrtsE 1919
IT have spoken the truth. + car; say
nothing more" ~ VS. '"E' s+"' 'Ssss. I.
| And so they brought him to tho gal
lows--the old galloWs OF Gwelt-town,
brown with time, and not too staunch
or stout, where many a thief and muir
derer had aia Il llurs before. Aud, all sthe
country were there to see.--for then It
was2considered u wholesome sight for
the populace land. reserved seats were
not sold to few curious for spicy hor-
rors as they are to-day even In our
Egood city Of New York.
Menr and women, and even children,
stood up at Che gailowss and gazed' at
the figure mounting 1t.
/ Peter Morgan saw them and grew
hot with shame. To die such a death,
before SO many, was, worse than merely
IleayingS the world, which had been
bright toIhimfin his youth and strength,
and where his old mother would starye,
'deserted by him.
Tears came into his eyesr-fors the
first time he trembled, and the" clergy
man, seeing, 1T. exhorted him once more
| TO tell whore the diamonds were and
confess his guilt. go -
But Peter Morgan. turned from HIM
and toward tho faces lifted Up expetc-
tant of his death struggles. From time
memorial a last dying speech has been
permitted to those doomed to execu-
tion.
And knowing this he spoke: t2s
"Frienls: I stand here a dying man
and ISdie innocont. God hears mo
and his Son. Let 1T be afwarning to all.
The eltest oe the Bible and keyIs cheat.
1t was tired and foind me guilty. +
never touched the diamonds. I know
no more Of them than the youngest
baby here, Idle murdered.o
Then ho gave himself ZIP to, the ex-
ecutloner and the clergyman-and the
black cap was drawn over his eyes and
d prayer was said, the signal given and
the drop fell. sl & Z, Is a5
Then occurred what seemed q mis-
chanca. The gallows Of Gwelt-town
was old and much decayed.' The VIC
tim was a heavy man. AS he swung
Off something gave way. Instead of
being properly hanged, Peter Morgan
fell heavily to the ground, stunned and
bleeding, with bits of rotton wood, and
ropes, and loesened nails scattered over
him. Tho fragments Of q bird nest
two young birds, above. which the
mother bird screamed and fluttered,
and Miss Blackthwaite's diamondsl
at the top Of the old gallows, as q II
Gwelt-town knew, had been for years
a magpie's nest, and the mother bird
had Otter picked crums from the Sill or
Miss BlackthWaite's window. On that
morning, when she lay asleep with her
window open, the bird, afflicted like all
It's race with what is delicately called
tkleptomania, had helped herself to the
diamonds. The magpie was tie thief,
not poor Peter Morgan, whom they
picked up alive, and carried homo in
triumph. isgE
Some good people were a little dis
appointed, but there was no hanging in
iGwelt-town that day. The major and
lh!s sister, OF course, made what repara .
IStlon lay In their spower--and Peter
M a. ~ ;,,ylipo a.. .,y5,